At 6 inches tall and just 8 across, James Warwick Jones' small studies of ancient Indian pueblos in the American Southwest may not have the immediate impact of some art show award winners.

But especially when grouped together, this quartet of paintings from his recent Taos series are some of the first things that grab your attention from the other side of the room as you walk through the 2012 Tidewater Art Alliance Portfolio Exhibition.

That's good news for the noted Hampton artist, who's built a formidable reputation over the years for his distinctive and engaging views of the Tidewater landscape, ranging from the streets of Hilton Village and Fox Hill to the docks and workboats of downtown Hampton.

Of the thousands of subjects he's photographed on his travels over the years, in fact, only two others have compelled Jones to stray from his usual focus on home. So there may have been some challenge in deciding to step outside this familiar realm — and then some reward in proving that he can not only venture some place new but also explore it in a way that produces convincing prize winners.

So impressed was juror and College of William and Mary adjunct studio art professor Linda Carey — who boasts no small talent herself — that she singled out Jones' modest yet visually compelling landscapes for the Best in Show award.

She also recognized the accomplished hand of another Peninsula artist — Mary Lee Ruff of Newport News — by giving second place to her series of drawings surveying the eye-catching practice sessions of student ballerinas.

These honors might have meant more 20 years ago, when the annual TAA Portfolio exhibit looked like one of the shows to beat when it came to gauging contemporary art in Hampton Roads.

But since the days when it restricted itself to just eight artists — then gave viewers the chance to measure their talents through portfolios of up to 10 works — the once rigorous show has been watered down so much that the prestige of making the cut has been dramatically cheapened.

As in recent years, three times as many people have been crowded into the 2012 exhibit — while the number of pieces in each portfolio has been reduced by more than half. And there's no doubt that this decision to not only open the doors to more artists but rip the hinges off has robbed the show of its past luster.

Still, there's no denying that Jones — whose paintings have been showcased by the TAA Portfolio exhibit many times in the past — would attract critical admiration in any arena.

The blocky forms of the low-slung pueblo architecture provide a fertile subject for his eye, too, and he skillfully recasts them as rhythmic, near-abstract sequences of shapes that unfold across the horizons of his canvases in stately geometric progression.

Walls, doors and windows double here as rectangles of shadow and light, pushing forward or receding in space according to an unspoken yet pleasing visual cadence. Timber-built porches, scaffolds and ladders add complexity to these simple rectilinear patterns by introducing the contrast of naturally irregular shapes and lines.

Jones' embrace of extreme horizons injects still more visual energy into these images, underscoring the strong formal concerns on which virtually all of his landscape paintings are founded. And as they grab your eye, they pull you in — making you pay attention and ponder in ways that seldom happen with less well-put-together works.

A similar eye for detail helps define Ruff's large, increasingly masterful drawings, which chase often overlooked nuances of light and shadow with such passion that they sometimes rival photographs for the faithfulness with which they render their subjects.

Just check out the depth of texture and the rich reflections found in "Ballerina Series #3, which ranges from changes of skin color and tone to the various fabrics of the dancers' costumes — not to mention the splashes of light seen under their moving feet.

Such close observation makes the unusual intimacy captured by Huff's studies all the more convincing.

Even at rest, the young dancers shown in "Ballerina Series #5" bristle with alert intensity that can almost be felt as well as seen.

Erickson can be reached at merickson@dailypress.com and 757-247-4783. Find him at dailypress.com/entertainment/arts and Facebook.com/dpentertainment

Want to go?

Tidewater Art Alliance Portfolio Exhibition

Where: Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave., Suffolk

When: Through June 8

Cost: Free

Info: 757-514-7284

Online: Go to dailypress.com/taaportfolio to see a gallery of pictures from the show.